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Laurie Baker's Creative Journey
Laurie Baker's Creative Journey
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ARCHITECTURE
JOGINDER SINGH
SHRINIVAS WARKHANDKAR
Photographs: Joginder Singh
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"Language he'll progress in. So what are your other interests, Laurie?"
"All right, all right, would you prefer to be an artist, then?" the
Headmaster asked.
On this Wilfred Baker said: "No, No! I don't want an artist in my house,
anything else will do." His stout declaration slightly startled the
Headmaster... Quiet reigned for some time. Suddenly the Headmaster got
an idea.
"Have you played the game of making houses out of cardboard?'' the
Headmaster asked.
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"So tomorrow bring along some of your cardboard houses and show
them to me," the Headmaster told Laurie. And to the father he said:
"Don't worry Mr. Wilfred, send Laurie tomorrow and we'll get him an
admission for Architecture.''
"To make houses one can do with engineers, but to decide how to go
about the construction, how to use the land properly, how to choose the
shapes, consultation with an architect is required. Not just in England, all
over Europe architects are in demand. So we'll send Laurie to the
University's Principal and let's see what happens." The Principal of the
Birmingham School of Architecture interviewed Laurie and gave him an
admission to a course in Architecture.
The youngest member of the Baker family thus drifted towards what was
in its context a totally new branch of knowledge. Laurie's elder brothers,
Leonard and Norman, were both studying law. His married sister, Edna,
was a housewife.
His mother Emily used to feel that like his father, Laurie too should
become an accountant. That Laurie, after becoming an architect, would
go to India and carve a niche for himself was a thought that would never
have entered anybody's mind!
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been set up in 1825 to bring ore from the mines was no longer a novelty.
A network of railway tracks was already in place all over the country.
Metalled roads on land and ships at sea had hastened the progress of
England. Coal had replaced wood in the process of melting iron ore.
Mass production of iron brought down its cost. All this led to
Birmingham becoming the centre for factories manufacturing equipment.
Even these factors had become history. The Industrial Revolution (a term
that was popularised by Arnold Toynbee) was now 125 years old. The
First World War had led to the upsetting of Britain's standing in the
world. Britain's monopoly in all fields had waned.
From the point of view of architecture, the post-concrete era was in. The
revolution that had followed the invention of cement by Joseph Aspidin
of Yorkshire in 1824 was now 108 years old. Construction took on a new
pace in France, Germany and America. New research had started on
ways to increase the strength of concrete.
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While still a student, Laurie Baker had decided that earning money
would not be the motto of his life. In the year 1937, when he graduated
as an architect, in Europe the leaders of the modern movement had laid
its foundations with a set of amazing architectural creations.
Europe was going through a period of unrest. Spain was already at war.
The dark clouds of the Second World War were looming, and Germany's
supreme leader Hitler was the cause. France and England too had to get
involved in the War. Germany attacked the Soviet Union. Most
European countries forced their youth to enlist in the army.
The religious group of the Quakers formed various groups to take care of
the wounded from the War. The Cadburys family (the chocolate-makers)
gave their home near Birmingham to the Quakers to set up a hospital.
Baker started going there.
At that time the Japan-China war was in its final stages. In 1931 Japan
occupied Manchuria. The Chinese Emperor Fu-Yi was allowed to reign
for the sake of appearances, while in actuality the Japanese Army
wielded power. In spite of the United Nations asking Japan to withdraw
its forces, Japan was not ready to do so. Instead, Japan quit the U.N. In
1939, with the start of the Second World War, Japan teamed up with
Italy and Germany. The Japanese occupied quite a few provinces of
China. In the war between Japan and China thousands of soldiers were
wounded. But under international convention, the Red Cross could not
go there. So the Quakers decided to send a group there.
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The group with which he was working decided to send him to England to
recuperate.
Baker came to India to catch the steamer to London from Bombay. The
steamer would not leave for another three months so he had to wait. Here
too he met Quaker friends.
It was during a chance encounter with Mahatma Gandhi later that Baker
decided to get back to India. He did so in 1945 and for three years
travelled all over the country helping the leprosy mission repair its
leprosy homes and build new ones. He got exposed to indigenous
architecture and was amazed at the way in which simple materials could
be exploited to produce buildings with refined aesthetics and lasting
qualities. These formative years laid the foundation of Baker's approach
to architecture.
Having lived for a few years at Pithoragarh (now in Uttaranchal) and then
at Vagamon, a hill area of Kerala, Baker finally moved to Trivandrum
(now called Thiruvananthapuram) in 1970. Over the years, as needs
increased and the required finances became available, his present home -
The Hamlet - evolved. Baker started taking up architectural projects
actively. The author goes on to describe Baker's life and architecture.
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pain that one can barely think of anything else. In Baker's creations one
can always see a great respect for nature. A peaceful co-existence
involving nature, man and home comes across in his work. Moving
around within Baker's architecture one feels that one has been
transcended to a novel and poetic world. The extreme simplicity in his
architecture infuses tranquillity and leaves one at a loss for words. He
has preserved the simplicity of the Quakers and Gandhian thought in his
architecture. He had the realisation that he was to build houses for the
common man. Simplicity has its own inherent beauty. One does not need
to do anything special to bring it out. Bahina Bai (a great Marathi
poetess) and Tukaram too used examples from everyday life, which is
why they did not have to struggle to create the kind of effect they did.
Their poetry was so simple, which is the reason it has become immortal.
Baker did not want to leave his imprint on his architecture. Had that been
the case he would have created monumental complexes. Farmers and
fishermen make houses that blend with the surroundings. Their designs
are absolutely need-based. Houses in different States such as Rajasthan,
Kerala and Maharashtra vary in character: architects do not need to
interfere.
Baker followed the principle that a house should seem to be owned by its
owner and not be merely a statement made by the architect. He is not the
kind of person who would sit cooped up in a room with a drafter. For
Baker, the blueprint has no finality about it and he does not get work
done by giving orders. He never entrusts work to contractors. Baker
builds houses by making sketches on paper that a mason can
comprehend. Baker is in effect like a head mason himself who is actively
involved in every stage of construction. Possessing a combination of
Pandit Kumar Gandharva's genius and Satyajit Ray's ability to identify
beauty even in the simplest of situations, Baker brings about a creative
invention of beauty through simplicity, all the time taking care of the
various elements from the foundation to the roof.
The sculptor brings out beauty by chiselling away the unnecessary parts
of the stone. Using words effectively, the poet brings out emotions. The
artist brings out the various qualities of nature through the medium of his
canvas.
To express their ideas and thoughts, architects have with them formless
space. The skilled architect merely shapes the brick and stone that
occupy the space. One can witness the architect's creativity through the
shapes and textures he uses. A genuine architect has the ability to give
meaning to the space that connects two rooms or even walls. Stone and
brick seem to pulsate with life whenever such inventions occur in
architecture. One can experience peaceful space, fascinating light, and
inexpressible peace from meaningful, calm architecture. Just by being
within a historical work of architecture one feels grand. Baker's
architecture creates a transcendental feeling.
When Laurie Baker talks, he does not theorise. His way of talking is
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simple and straight. He does not use complicated words or technical lingo
while describing his architecture. But the observer is able to witness the
unconventional nature of his architecture. According to him all issues are
simple and easy. They do not need to be wrapped in a layer of ideology
or philosophy.
Baker's concept does not entirely take shape on the drawing board.
Working with a schematic drawing, he makes spontaneous changes while
construction is under way. In singing and in theatre, improvisation is
important. Artists who desire variety do not like doing the same thing
over and over again. Baker, talking about architecture, says: "Can one
call the person who makes 500 similar houses an architect? It is not
difficult to make 10 to 12 different houses using the same materials. That
is why such established practices have to be stopped. One can come up
with different options even without cutting trees or levelling the ground.
Monotonous houses can be avoided."
For who exactly is the cost-effective house meant? This question has
been asked often. Those from the economically weaker sections find such
houses to be backward. The economically weaker sections consider the
upper class and middle class urban houses to be ideal and they, therefore,
aspire for such houses.
Says Laurie Baker: "Cost-effective houses are not just for the poor, they
are for everyone. The equation that a cost-effective house is a house for
the poor, implying a bad looking house, can definitely be proved wrong.
Isn't it the responsibility of the upper and middle classes to stop indulging
in extravagance and make better looking houses instead? This entire
classification is wrong."
This belief gets reflected in Baker's work. Baker builds for a person
without considering his caste, class and stature and without giving a
thought to what the house would be labelled as. This establishes a
personal relationship.
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After the Medieval Age the Indian style of architecture that was
geographically relevant and that made use of locally available materials
started to wane. There was paucity of work for the skilled architects and
craftsmen who used to thrive under the patronage of kings and landlords,
building their palaces and bungalows.
Unskilled workmen took up the work in the villages. The carpenters and
blacksmiths too started taking up masonry work when necessity
demanded. The art and technique of construction faded away. But still in
some States and regions, traditions of good and meaningful architecture
are alive.
Building arches, jaalis, frameless doors and windows does not constitute
a new discovery... Baker has merely compiled the techniques. He had
one singular purpose - to create a beautiful building using the minimum
possible quantity of materials. In fact, creating a beautiful building by
overlooking nature proves even costlier. Natural rhythm is intrinsically
beautiful. A merger with nature occurs when Baker's forms start
resonating with this natural rhythm.
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Baker stays far away from this atmosphere. He is in the profession, yet
far away from it in the commercial sense. "If you want to mass-produce
houses, stay away from architects and engineers.'' Who would want to
bear with an architect who says this!
When modern architecture was born, it was the belief that by the end of
the 20th century everyone would have a house. With ultra-modern
technology being propagated, construction materials would be mass-
produced. Shelter would no longer be a problem as making a house had
become an easy process, it was thought. But these hopes soon died. The
profession was left in the hands of the government and the builders. The
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In the past few years the demand for small buildings as opposed to
skyscrapers has grown steadily. Architects have begun to talk about the
importance of architecture that preserves the tradition of community
living. It has become a belief that an architecture that favours society
shall be profitable for both society and the architect.
Without using jargon, Baker has been expressing the same ideas for the
past 50 years through his creations.
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He is continuously engaged in the quest for new ways to use any kind of
waste, from paper to vegetables. Using bits of paper and cloth, he makes
beautiful collages. Employing the `origami' system he makes objects and
animals for children. All this can be found in his handbag. How can
today's generation come to terms with his simple living and minimal
requirements? The new generation spends such a lot on education itself.
They have to become a part of a life-threatening professional race and
have to make quite a few adjustments. Then what is the future of Baker's
architecture? Most architects want to leave their own stamp on their
architecture. Their fee depends on the estimated cost of the project.
Obviously, as the expenses increase so do the fees. A practice of paying
an appropriate fee for effecting savings in costs has not yet been
established. That is why there is no reason to economise. Baker's
philosophy is for ordinary people. To spend as little as possible to run the
household, to make do with what one has... such an attitude gets
reflected in his architecture. He has a deep understanding of the little
problems of everyday life. If one harvests rainwater rather than letting it
run off, then one will save on the effort to go and fetch water; any
woman in India will consider this. Baker goes ahead and implements it.
Glare is to be avoided. The house should abound in soothing light and
shade. This subconsciously affects us in a pleasant way. With this in
mind Baker provides decorative jaalis. Houses that merge with the
environment have always existed. Baker just continued the tradition.
This is not an architect's art alone; rather it is art that has stemmed from
man's requirements. Through architecture one can get an understanding
of science, technology, art, social life, culture and geographical aspects.
Architecture becomes a medium of expression.
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Atul Deulgaonkar's book in the Marathi has won several awards. The
translators, Shrinivas Warkhandkar and Joginder Singh, are both
practising architects. Joginder Singh has been in the process of doing a
photographic documentation/study of Baker's work for the past two years
and would appreciate the reader's response at jogi_singh@hotmail.com
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